Picture Credits: ITC Grand Goa Resort & Spa
Coronavirus has changed the event game for the near future. For the next few years, we will see clients looking at various ways to stay contact-free as far as possible. In this regard, dining is a tough call at any celebration, even for destination weddings in Goa with limited guest lists. Here are a few tips to help you out!
Spread the Dining Layout
Follow the government guidelines for restaurants to be safe. Lay out tables at a safe distance from each other so people from different households can sit together and away from others. This will help reduce contact and also offer a less crowded air to the venue.
Here’s a look at some of the top wedding venues in Goa.
Picture Credits: ITC Grand Goa Resort & Spa
Sit-Down Dinners
Consuming food and beverages is the one time people must take their masks off, and there’s a lot of this at destination weddings in Goa. One of the most popular pieces of advice for events is to opt for sit-down service instead. This way, you avoid crowding in a single spot - either at the bar or the buffet. Fewer people touch serving ladles, and used glasses are less likely to be shared mistakenly as they are routinely cleared. It’s easier to monitor the hygiene practices of a handful of service staff than of a few dozen guests.
Pre-Packaged Snacks
You can cut down on contact between service staff and guests with pre-packaged snacks. They don’t have to be in boring brown boxes. Check with vendors such as Glitter Box Goa for customised hampers and snack boxes that embody your theme and beautifully conceal the goodies. If you stack them neatly on a table with a little signboard, you won’t even need service staff handing them out!
Picture Credits: The Glitter Box Goa
Wireless Calling Bells
Take contact-free destination weddings in Goa one step further with a calling bell. If your celebration is small, you can get away with an old-school call bell, but if you’d like to be discreet at a slightly larger do, get something made especially for you. Each table gets a remote connected to a display unit which is accessed by service staff, who approach tables only when called for. Most are battery operated and work with signals that can even penetrate concrete walls.
Picture Credits: Taj Exotica Resort & Spa
Frequent Hand-Washing
Keep hand sanitisers on every table for your guests. While encouraging frequent hand-washing among invitees can be a bit crass, it’s possible to speak about implementing some rules when hiring your vendor. A good wedding planner in Goa will be able to set you up with a caterer and reliable staff who take coronavirus-related hygiene seriously.
Avoid Salads or Raw Food
There is currently no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 spreads through food. It requires a human or animal host to multiply. That being said, hygiene is the main issue with fresh salads and raw food. So keep items such as sushi, ceviche and carpaccio off the menu. Salads need to be washed well and handled hygienically. It’s possible that your guests will avoid them anyway as a precaution so you could land up with unnecessary food waste. Switch them up with lightly spiced vegetables, fish and meat that are low on oil and heavy dressing.
Picture Credits: Taj Fort Aguada